NMIVA, others must work hard to bring WUC event

Pros from Japan and the United States saw action in this year’s Micronesian Cup at the Fiesta Resort & Spa Saipan. The Northern Mariana Islands Volleyball Association welcomed the possibility of hosting another international beach volleyball event, the World University Championships, on Saipan. (Jon Perez)

The Northern Mariana Islands Volleyball Association said a united front is needed if ever the CNMI gets a chance to host the World University Championships beach volleyball event on Saipan in the future.

This was what NMIVA president Laurie Peterka told Saipan Tribune in an exclusive interview, adding that the CNMI should also capitalize in promoting sports tourism.

“I strongly believe that [the Northern Marianas Sports Association] and its members should work closely with [the Marianas Visitors Authority] to really drive sports tourism in the NMI,” added Peterka.

NMSA president Mike White, in a story that came out in the Saipan Tribune, had asked officials of three sports associations—baseball, golf, and volleyball—to discuss the possibility of hosting a WUC event.

“We have a lot of white sand beaches good for beach volleyball. So I would like to ask that NMIVA also look into the prospect of bringing the games here on Saipan,” White told NMIVA representative Toni Yamada during a recent NMSA meeting.

Peterka said NMIVA is ready to get organized if ever Saipan will earn a chance to host a WUC in beach volleyball.

“We look forward to the possibility of hosting a WUC event and I believe strongly that NMIVA is ready to step up to this possibility,” Peterka said.

She added NMIVA has shown in the past that they are capable of hosting events consistently behind a core group of volunteers who lend their time and energy.

“We’ve become really capable in terms of being able to host events consistently. We have a good core volunteer group who each have taken on roles consistently and it works well for us,” said Peterka.

The Marianas Cup Beach Volleyball Festival, which will have its 24th edition next year, is one of the events that NMIVA helped organize where Beijing Olympic gold medalist Phil Dalhausser and other pros around the world participated in.

Peterka said hosting a WUC for beach volleyball would be a huge plus for the volleyball community, specially beach volleyball.

“It would be great to see all the young talent from all over the world here with us in the CNMI. It would really boost our local level of interest and quality of play too,” she added.

The WUC is part of the International University Sports Federation’s program where 28 sports are played either in every two or four years involving college age athletes from 17 to 28 years old.

Porto City in Portugal hosted the last WUC in beach volleyball where 64 male and 52 female players from 22 countries, and 44 game officials took part.

The next WUC in beach volleyball, the eighth edition, is set in Estonia’s Southwestern city of Parnu from July 13 to 17 in 2016.

FISU is requiring hosts of a WUC beach volleyball event to have one main stadium that has a seating capacity of 1,500 for spectators, 150 (roofed) for VIPs, and 25 for the media; a secondary stadium should accommodate 500 spectators, 10 VIPs, and 10 members of the press; six secondary courts that can have 50 to 150 spectators and five reporters; and two warm up courts.